Ottawa-Glandorf’s Anna Buddelmeyer competes in the 1600 meter run during Saturday’s Division II OHSAA Track & Field State Championships at Welcome Stadium in Dayton.
Richard Parrish | The Lima News
DAYTON — Whenever St. Marys’ Syerra Greber and Bath’s Tatum Walsh stepped on the track to compete against each other, it was a sure thing that it was going to be a battle between those two sprinters.
On Saturday, the third and final day of the Ohio High School Athletic Association State Track and Field Championships at the University of Dayton’s Welcome Stadium, those two seniors lined up in the Division II finals of the 400-meter dash for the final time of their high school careers.
And once again, it was a battle to the very end as Greber just edged out Walsh for fifth place in the 400-meter dash. Greber’s time was 56.93 seconds, while Walsh clocked a time of 56.95. Jane Kennedy from Hathaway Brown won the race in 55.14.
With their top-8 finishes, both Greber and Walsh made the awards podium and earn All-Ohio honors.
“It’s been really fun,” Walsh said about racing Greber. “We go back and forth a lot. … She beats me sometimes, and I beat her every once in a while. We’re such friendly competitors. It’s really been great to get to know her.”
Said Greber, “The WBL (Western Buckeye League) is a very competitive league. So, when we get here (at the state championships), I think we’re pretty used to it. … It (the WBL) is pretty competitive, and it gets us prepared.”
At this year’s WBL Championships, Greber edged out Walsh in the 200 for second place. Van Wert’s Macy Johnson won in 25.41. Greber’s time was 25.44, while Walsh was a very close third (25.59).
Walsh won the 400 at the WBL Championships (57.93). However, Greber did not compete in the 400 at the WBLs. In the 100 at the WBLs, Greber (12.26) edged out Walsh (12.41) for second place.
At last week’s D-II regional meet at Piqua, Walsh and Greber went head-to-head in the 400. Walsh came away with the hard-fought win, clocking a time of 57.49, while Greber crossed the finish line in 57.70.
Greber defeated Walsh in the 100 at the regional meet. Greber placed second (12.33), while Walsh came in sixth (12.70).
Buddelmeyer makes the podium in the 1,600
On Friday, the second day of the OHSAA State Track and Field Championships, Ottawa-Glandorf junior Anna Buddelmeyer anchored the 3,200 relay (Corinne Closson, Madelyn Hovest, Liana Fortman, Buddelmeyer) that placed fifth (9:31.01).
On Saturday, Buddelmeyer was vying for another D-II podium spot when she attempted a very challenging double – the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs.
In Saturday’s 1,600, Buddelmeyer came on strong in the second half of the race to notch a seventh-place finish in a personal-best time of 5:02.04
“I’m feeling really good,” Buddelmeyer said after Saturday’s 1,600. “My goal was to just get on the podium and PR, and I did both.
“It feels really good, because last year I didn’t even make it out of districts. So to be here and to be on the podium means so much to me.”
Buddelmeyer finished 14th in Saturday’s 3,200 (11:41.43).
O-G’s relays place well
On Saturday, the Ottawa-Glandorf girls 800-meter relay (Laney Hedrick, Savannah Recker, Alivia Grothause, Averie Fox) finished sixth in 1:43.27.
O-G’s 400 relay (Recker, Grothause, Delaney Duling, Fox) placed sixth in a time of 48.97.
The Titans wrapped up Saturday’s competition with a seventh-place finish in the 1,600 relay (Brea Recker, Emma Heringhaus, Corinne Closson, Fox) in a time of 4:01.96.
Van Wert’s Johnson on the podium
Van Wert senior Macy Johnson finished seventh in the D-II 200 finals on Saturday in 25.49.
Delphos Jefferson’s Hoersten on the podium in three events
In the Seated Division, Delphos Jefferson junior Megan Hoersten placed seventh in the shot put (11 feet, 9.5 inches), fifth in the 100 (28.15) and fifth in the 400 (2:05.47) on Saturday.
**Complete results for the Division II state track and field meet can be found on milesplit.oh
